Lessons in Grit from a Falklands Hero - Simon Weston

Simon Weston CBE is a veteran, a charity campaigner and one of the most inspiring survivors of our times.

In 1982, while serving with the Welsh Guards in the Falklands War, Simon suffered devastating injuries when the RFA Sir Galahad was attacked. The burns he sustained covered nearly half his body and led to more than 90 major operations over many years. But his story – as Simon shares in this extraordinary conversation – is not simply one of survival, but of incredible resilience, and spirit.

Simon talks with honesty, humour and clarity about the darkest days – not just the physical pain, but his mental battles with PTSD and the fallout of a life unravelled. He shares the pivotal moments that helped him move forward, and the people who helped him reframe his future. From rebuilding his confidence in front of a mirror, to becoming a national figure of hope and strength. This is the journey of a man who refused to be defined by crisis.

Simon now works as Honorary President of the charity DEBRA, which supports people living with the rare, and extremely painful, genetic skin blistering condition, epidermolysis bullosa. His inspirational work has earned him a CBE and bluntly, given the impact he’s had and continues to have, he deserves so much more.  

A profoundly moving and ultimately uplifting episode about trauma, transformation and the power of purpose.

This podcast is brought to you by Crisis What Crisis? Productions and Coulson Partners

Host: Andy Coulson

CWC team: Jane Sankey, Hana Walker-Brown, Mabel Pickering and Rex Fisher

With special thanks to Ioana Barbu and the brilliant people at Global

For all PR and guest approaches please contact – [email protected]

What happens when your name becomes shorthand for a crime you didn’t commit? At just 20 years old, Amanda Knox was catapulted into global infamy after being accused of murdering her roommate, Meredith Kercher, while studying abroad in Italy.

Now, Amanda joins Andy to share the raw, painfully-earned insight that comes from surviving one of the most widely known miscarriages of justice in modern history – a journey through shock, shame, and ultimately, perspective and peace.

Here is Amanda's Crisis Compass - her points of navigation for when trouble comes.

This podcast is brought to you by Crisis What Crisis? Productions and Coulson Partners

Host: Andy Coulson

CWC team: Jane Sankey, Hana Walker-Brown, Mabel Pickering and Rex Fisher

With special thanks to Ioana Barbu, Simeon Pearl and the brilliant people at Global

For all PR and guest approaches please contact – [email protected]

What happens when your name becomes shorthand for a crime you didn’t commit? At just 20 years old, Amanda Knox was catapulted into global infamy after being accused of murdering her roommate, Meredith Kercher, while studying abroad in Italy.

What should have been a formative experience turned into a wrongful conviction, four years in prison, and a sustained and lurid mischaracterisation by the world – casting her not as an innocent young woman caught in the crossfire, but as a cold-blooded killer.

Now, Amanda joins Andy to share the raw, painfully-earned insight that comes from surviving one of the most widely known miscarriages of justice in modern history – a journey through shock, shame, and ultimately, perspective and peace.

From lying on a prison cell mattress to forging an unlikely friendship with Giuliano Mignini — the prosecutor who put her there — this is a deeply human conversation about identity, survival, and the immense strength it takes to reclaim your own story when the world has tried to write it for you.

Links

This podcast is brought to you by Crisis What Crisis? Productions and Coulson Partners

Host: Andy Coulson

CWC team: Jane Sankey, Hana Walker-Brown and Rex Fisher

With special thanks to Ioana Barbu, Simeon Pearl and the brilliant people at Global

For all PR and guest approaches please contact – [email protected]

Mark Turnbull has spent thirty five years as a geopolitical communications strategist, working behind the scenes to shape some of the most consequential political moments of modern times. It's a career that's taken him from the American invasion of Iraq to the final days of apartheid South Africa — from the inner sanctum of a leading KGB defector to the cockpit of Cambridge Analytica.

In this episode, he reflects generously on his terminal cancer diagnosis and how as a self-proclaimed "incurable optimist" he remains fiercely upbeat about his life and how he continues to lead it, with purpose, resilience and courage. Here is Mark's Crisis Compass.

Host: Andy Coulson

CWC team: Jane Sankey, Hana Walker-Brown, Bill Griffin

With special thanks to Ioana Barbu and the brilliant people at Global

For all PR and guest approaches please contact – [email protected]

Mark Turnbull has spent thirty-five years as a geopolitical communications strategist, working behind the scenes to shape some of the most consequential political moments of modern times. It's a career that's taken him from the American invasion of Iraq to the final days of apartheid South Africa — from the inner sanctum of a leading KGB defector to the cockpit of Cambridge Analytica.

In this episode, Mark talks about the physical dangers and reputational risks of his trade — and the pressure it put on his family. From being ambushed by insurgents in Baghdad and battling Somali warlords, to taking on Putin's propaganda machine and the sting operation that would bring down Trump campaign agency Cambridge Analytica. Along the way, it cast him as a poster boy for data theft and dirty tricks.

He reveals the chilling moment when Alexander Litvinenko warned him about the KGB’s preferred method of assassination and lifts the lid on the Cambridge Analytica sting operation that made global headlines—explaining how it unfolded, what the media got wrong, and the cost to his professional and personal life. 

Finally, he reflects generously on his terminal cancer diagnosis and how as a self-proclaimed "incurable optimist" he remains fiercely upbeat about his life and how he continues to lead it, with purpose, resilience and courage.

Host: Andy Coulson 

CWC team: Jane Sankey, Hana Walker-Brown, Bill Griffin

With special thanks to Ioana Barbu and the brilliant people at Global 

For all PR and guest approaches please contact – [email protected]

John Roberts is one of Britain's most successful and energetic businessmen, a lad from Bolton who turned a one pound bet with a friend into a billion pound success story. 

In this special Business episode, John joins Andy to share the invaluable lessons behind building one of Britain’s most trusted brands. From selling deformed gingerbread men in school to pioneering e-commerce out of Bolton, John reveals how cheek, grit and imagination shaped AO, but the journey to success has not been a straight road. He talks openly about the crushing lows — including losing a £160 million gamble in Germany, navigating the chaos of early online retail, and how singing Queen’s Don’t Stop Me Now on loop helped him show up for his team during the darkest moments.

Here is John's Crisis Compass - his points of navigation for when trouble comes.

X: @johnrobertsAO

Host: Andy Coulson 

CWC team: Jane Sankey, Hana Walker-Brown, Bill Griffin

With special thanks to Ioana Barbu and the brilliant people at Global 

For all PR and guest approaches please contact – [email protected]

John Roberts is one of Britain's most successful and energetic businessmen, a lad from Bolton who turned a one pound bet with a friend into a billion pound success story.

In this special Business episode, John joins Andy to share the invaluable lessons behind building one of Britain’s most trusted brands. From selling deformed gingerbread men in school to pioneering e-commerce out of Bolton, John reveals how cheek, grit and imagination shaped AO, but the journey to success has not been a straight road. He talks openly about the crushing lows — including losing a £160 million gamble in Germany, navigating the chaos of early online retail, and how singing Queen’s Don’t Stop Me Now on loop helped him show up for his team during the darkest moments.

He shares the thinking behind AO’s legendary customer service and the power (and perils) of leading from the front. Plus we hear about his work to level the playing field for young people in our poorest communities, and what government and businesses can learn from a green teddy bear and a humble kitchen salesman to build a better future.

X: @johnrobertsAO

Host: Andy Coulson

CWC team: Jane Sankey, Hana Walker-Brown, Bill Griffin

With special thanks to Ioana Barbu and the brilliant people at Global

For all PR and guest approaches please contact – [email protected]

Bestselling author Kit de Waal has built a career writing stories that capture the reality of life on the margins, but her own story is just as compelling. Growing up in 1970s Birmingham with an Irish Catholic-turned-Jehovah's Witness mother and a Caribbean father, Kit learned early on that survival meant adaptation. Kit's mother’s dire warnings of an impending apocalypse pushed her into rebellion, leading to a breakdown that ultimately brought her home and set her on a new path in social care, advocating for children in the care system before becoming a bestselling author.

Here is Kit's Crisis Compass - her points of navigation for when trouble comes.

Listen to Kit's full episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/crisis-what-crisis/id1517015748?i=1000701649537

Pre-order Kit’s new book The Best Of Everything: https://linktr.ee/TheBestofEverythingKitdeWaal

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kit-de-waal-ba953455/

X: @KitDeWaal

Website: https://www.kitdewaal.com/contact

Host: Andy Coulson 

CWC team: Jane Sankey, Hana Walker-Brown, Bill Griffin

With special thanks to Ioana Barbu and the brilliant people at Global 

For all PR and guest approaches please contact – [email protected]

Bestselling author Kit de Waal has built a career writing stories that capture the reality of life on the margins, but her own story is just as compelling. Growing up in 1970s Birmingham with an Irish Catholic-turned-Jehovah's Witness mother and a Caribbean father, Kit learned early on that survival meant adaptation. Kit's mother’s dire warnings of an impending apocalypse pushed her into rebellion, leading to a breakdown that ultimately set her on a new path advocating for children in the care system before becoming a bestselling novelist.

In this episode, Kit shares how she transformed personal crisis into epic creative success, the complexities of growing up between cultures, and why she rejects the term ‘resilience.’ With novels like My Name is Leon and her memoir Without Warning and Only Sometimes, Kit has turned life’s challenges into powerful storytelling. Kit has also fought for greater diversity in the UK’s publishing industry. Using her advance, she set up a Creative Writing scholarship at Birbeck, University of London, Kit is breaking down industry barriers by helping writers from marginalised backgrounds find their own passion for writing.

This is a paid advertisement by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/CRISISPOD. Our listeners get 10% off their first month.

Pre-order Kit’s new book The Best Of Everything: https://linktr.ee/TheBestofEverythingKitdeWaal

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kit-de-waal-ba953455/

X: @KitDeWaal

Website: https://www.kitdewaal.com/contact

Host: Andy Coulson 

CWC team: Jane Sankey, Hana Walker-Brown, Bill Griffin

With special thanks to Ioana Barbu and the brilliant people at Global 

For all PR and guest approaches please contact – [email protected]

Rupert Soames has forged a brilliant career leading businesses through some of the most daunting challenges. His professional journey has been defined by his unflinching resolve to ‘run towards gunfire.’ As CEO of commercial giants Aggreko and Serco through periods of crisis and now as Chair of the CBI as it continues to recover from a reputational shock. Rupert also talks for the first time about appalling abuse he endured at prep school and how those terrible experiences ultimately helped shape his wholly positive approach to confronting challenge. 

Here is Rupert’s Crisis Compass – his points of navigation for when trouble comes. 

This is a paid advertisement by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/CRISISPOD. Our listeners get 10% off their first month.

Host: Andy Coulson 

CWC team: Jane Sankey, Hana Walker-Brown, Bill Griffin

With special thanks to Ioana Barbu and the brilliant people at Global 

For all PR and guest approaches please contact – [email protected]